AICTE likely to forbid new professional colleges from 2014

Mumbai: In the recent past with supply surpassing demand for engineering and management seats, the AICTE may perhaps be forced stop new professional colleges coming up from 2014.

This decisive stand was taken in a recent meeting of All-India Council for Technical Education, after requests from several states poured in to the council to reject fresh proposals for starting new professional colleges.

Many states wanted AICTE to immediately stop accepting applications, but the process of setting up a college, like buying land and building the infrastructure, starts two years before a college approaches the AICTE for permission. Hence, the regulatory body has decided that two years from now, it will review the situation and may stop accepting proposals for new technical colleges. 

With more number of seats going vacant in engineering and management colleges over the past few years, several states had written to AICTE not to clear proposals for new institutes.

Currently, 3,393 engineering colleges that offer 14.86 lakhs seats and 3,900 management schools with a total student intake of 3.5 lakh are present in India. 

AICTE estimates that nearly three lakh seats were unfilled at the close of admissions last year.

Already many states have decided not to allow colleges to start this year, with the state governments and the council locking horns on the issue.

AICTE received 2,176 applications to start new professional degree colleges two years ago, but the number stands at a paltry 362 this year. Gradually, two years from now, there may be no new professional colleges that will come up.